This edition of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" locates his writings within the broader cultural concerns of his day. Examining Wilde's aestheticism, his sexual politics, his socialist ideas, and his allegiances to Irish nationalism, this edition looks closely at the ways in which Wilde's best-known comedy managed both to challenge the ruling order and enjoy considerable contemporary success. By comparing Wilde's provocative views on art and life in his major essay "The Critic as Artist" with the social critique performed in "The Importance of Being Earnest", this volume reveals the serious-minded nature of Wilde's pyrotechnic wit, and brings together a selection of his most famous aphorisms together with "The Soul of Man Under Socialism". This book should be of interest to undergraduates and academics of literature and drama.